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Theocracy is a melodic and progressively-influenced power metal band from Athens, GA.

Their new album "Ghost Ship", features 10 powerful new songs that showcase the epic, heavy and melodic sound the band is known for. Ghost Ship is the followup to 2011’s As the World Bleeds and 2013’s self-titled debut remix.

With Ghost Ship, Theocracy perfects the lively and fully-realized sound of As the World Bleeds, delivering 10 muscular and streamlined tracks that never lose focus and combine for one memorable journey. Each song on Ghost Ship stands alone and has a unique signature, but every moment sounds unmistakably like Theocracy.

Theocracy started life as a one-man project by Matt Smith in Athens, Ga., though their style has more in common with their European contemporaries than with most of their U.S. counterparts. Characterized by huge choruses, epic arrangements and progressive elements, Theocracy’s music is both immediate and deep, managing to be instantly catchy and memorable, yet revealing new levels of intricacy and depth with each subsequent listen.

The self-titled Theocracy debut album was released at the end of 2003 on MetalAges Records to fantastic reviews and worldwide acclaim within the metal community. After its release, the band began playing shows (including the prestigious ProgPower USA showcase) and started working on new material. After years of hard work, Theocracy signed with Ulterium Records and released their second album Mirror of Souls in 2008.

Mirror of Souls was a huge breakthrough for Theocracy, and received fantastic reviews from press around the world. The album was released in Europe, North America and Japan, and in addition to U.S. shows opening for bands like Sonata Arctica, Blind Guardian and Circle to Circle, Theocracy also embarked upon their first European headlining tour in the fall of 2009.

In 2011, Theocracy released their third magnum opus, entitled As the World Bleeds, which hit the Billboard Heatseeker Chart at #40 in the U.S. and received a fantastic response all around the world. In the fall of 2011, Theocracy returned to Europe for a second headlining tour, followed by more shows in the U.S., a festival appearance in Finland, and the band’s first show in Costa Rica.

By 2013, the self-titled debut album from Theocracy had been out of print for several years, and fans were constantly asking for a re-issue. In order to improve upon the drum machine and amateur production of the original release without losing the charm of the recordings, Theocracy drummer Shawn Benson recorded drums on all tracks, while nothing else was re-recorded. Matt completely re-mixed the album, with the mastering handled by Mika Jussila, and the debut was re-released on Ulterium Records.

Now Theocracy is back with Ghost Ship. The album was produced and engineered by Smith at his studio in Athens, and at a farmhouse that the band converted into a recording space. “We’ve been so inspired and moved by the people we’ve met on the road after shows over the last few years, and many of their stories will stick with us forever,” says Smith. “This was on my mind when creating this album, and I hope these songs will be a real encouragement for the struggling, the broken, and the misfits looking for a place to belong. I think that thread of hope runs throughout this record.”

GFM (also known as "Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh" or theGFMband) is an all-female Christian metal/Beautycore band from St. Johns, Florida. Comprised of a trio of sisters, GFM infuses positive, youthful energy into traditional hard rock styling. They have introduced a new genre to the music world by the name of Beautycore which is a mix of hard rock and metalcore, played exclusively by women. The group’s family ties inherently developed a tight musical bond, though GFM didn’t officially begin touring until 2014. Since then, GFM has been sought out for both religious and secular events throughout the Southeast, playing festivals such as Rock the Tarmac, A Not So Silent Night, community events and traditional venues like the iconic Jacksonville Landing.

Sixteen-year-old CJ shines as the band’s lead guitarist and shares vocals with fifteen-year-old Maggie, who rocks dual instruments on bass and keys. The youngest of the group, twelve-year-old Lulu, anchors the band with an intensity on drums that is way beyond her years.

GFM’s edgy sound resonates in the familiar dark corners of its heavy metal genre; but with influencers like Skillet and We As Human, GFM’s lyrics shine with a universal light. Through their individual journeys, GFM manages to blur the lines of the Christian sub-culture, reaching both conservatives and listeners beyond the devout. Drawing its name from the original gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh, GFM proves that while the guitar’s distorted, the message is clear – the mission is the music.

GFM is currently wrapping up studio work on their first original EP, Death of Giants. “Darkness”, the album’s debut single, is slated for release in December 2015.

For more on GFM, visit www.thegfmband.com. Connect via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube at thegfmband. Booking information is available by contacting 904-303-2783 or thegfmband@gmail.com.

Skyliner is a hurricane of any and all shades of traditional and power metal, with a progressive mind’s eye at the center of the storm. Built on a vicious DIY attitude, entirely self-made and contained, Skyliner, hailing from Jacksonville, Florida, has never compromised, either in evolving and perfecting their art since the first demo in 2005, or in delivering (literally) explosive live shows in metal-hostile territory, ever providing the local scene with a dose of healthy fear. In the compositions, Skyliner throws away the life jackets, providing an emotional punch to the gut centered around personal tragedy, victory, and spiritual exploration rather than latching onto the tried-and-true/tried-and-failed fantasy concepts often prevalent in metal descended from the traditional style. There won’t be any shelter found musically, either, as the band eschews the overproduced notion of modern metal and lets the raging riffs, fluid leads, deluge of bass, thundering drums/percussion, commanding vocals, and pulse of keyboards all flow equally together but separate, forming a unique surge of power that never leaves out the blood, rain, sweat, or tears. In 2013, Skyliner signed a worldwide record deal with Limb Music Germany and released the full-length debut, ‘Outsiders’, mixed and mastered by Jamie King (Scale The Summit, Between The Buried And Me), in 2014. They released their second full-length project, 'Condition Black', in 2016.

At its dark heart, Skyliner is a tide of discontent and a voyage to freedom, and the tempest has now arrived to devastate all islands of fraud. The waves are shifting. The condition - black. You’ve been warned.